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A cameraman recently revealed that actor Tom Cruise once saved actress Elizabeth Shue from death! And it’s not the first time he became a hero on set, either…
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It all started on the set of the 1988 film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise and Elizabeth Shue. Recently, one of the camera operators, Bill Bennet, recalled quite the terrifying moment – one that happened behind the scenes no less! For one scene, the filmmakers needed to use a helicopter to shoot some essential scenes. At one point, the helicopter had to land, while the actors came back and watched the most recent take. Meanwhile, the pilot kept the tail rotor running. “If you walk into [the tail blade],” Bennet said. “it will kill you instantly.” Even though the actors had been told not to come close, it seems that Shue forgot for a moment…
Shue was watching the footage when, absent-mindedly, she started walking back towards the back of the helicopter. “Tom [Cruise] is a pilot, rated in both airplanes and helicopters, and instantly saw the danger. He lunged after her, but only was able to grab her legs, tackling her to the ground,” Bennet stated. “He rolled her over, dragging her at the same time, and you could see the momentary anger on her face while she was yelling ‘Why did you do that?’”
At the moment, Shue had no realized the danger she put herself in. However, Cruise was quick to educate her. Once he pointed to the motor, it all fell into place. “At that point, she turned white, and he pulled her back towards the front of the helicopter and they walked away. All of us in the helicopter were quite shaken up by the close call, but there was nothing to be said. Tom had, in that instant, truly saved her life,” Bennet recalled. Without a doubt!
Under The Helicopter Blades
Buena Vista Pictures
After Bennet posted the story to Facebook, many wondered why the pilot had not driven the point home about the dangers of the blade. Well, as Bennet explained, back in 1987, few film crews had elaborate safety meetings. So, it was easy for Shue to forget about the helicopter. “If it were the current day, there would’ve been a very formal safety meeting that would take place before the helicopter ever arrived, discussing all the dangers of working around helicopters,” Bennet wrote.
Believe it or not, as stated, this is not the only time that Cruise has saved someone’s life on the set of one of his movies. Most recently, on the set of Mission Impossible 7, the famed actor caught a cameraman who fell of a train!
